A Test of Strength
by TurquoiseRose16
Summary: There has been a murder at the Palm Woods but that was only a warning. Soon one by one the BTR boys are being taken.  Only James is left. He must find out who took them or they will be forever lost. This truly is a test of strength. Better than it sounds.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, people. This is my second fanfiction and I'm really excited about this one. Please R & R.**

I was walking through the Palm Woods' lobby when I heard something behind me. I turned to look and no one was there. I figured I was hearing the rain from the thunderstorm. But when I looked ahead, I saw a black figure looming in front of me. I tried to scream, but he put his hand over my mouth. He pulled out a knife and held it up to my face, as if to toy with me. He then gripped it firmly and jabbed it through me. I could feel it rip through my skin, and blackness crept around the edges of my vision. I dropped to my knees and looked up. He was gone. I put my hand on the handle of the knife that was sticking out of my stomach at an awkward angle. It was slick. I tried to pull it out but I was too weak from loss of blood. I felt my life draining quickly from my body. I fell backwards and landed hardly on the floor beneath me. I felt a cold wind and started seeing red everywhere. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I let it out slowly and felt my heart slow down. I took another lungful of air and released my last breath slowly. I then saw black.

James P.o.v.

I was woken up by the sound of sirens. I pulled myself out of bed and walked over to Carlos' bed. "Come on Carlos. Time to get up," I said still half asleep myself. "Corndogs!" he shouted. "Aw, James, I was having a good dream. Why did you wake me up?" "Do you here the sirens? Come on let's see what's going on," I said walking out of the room. " Wait for me!" He yelled racing after me. Kendall and Logan were already up. "Come on let's see what all the commotion is about," I stated opening the door. They followed me down to the lobby. When we got down there our mouths hung open. In the middle of the floor was one of the Jennifers, dead in a puddle of blood. With a knife sticking out of her. I walked over to one of the many officers at the scene. "What happened here?" I asked practically shaking. "We are not sure yet, but the Palm Woods is now under lock down, and will be monitored at all times. Did you know her?" He asked. I nodded my head. "I'm sorry," he said shaking his head. "She was much too young." He then walked away. A few feet over Mr. Bitters was being questioned by the police. The other two Jennifers were down here also. They were in tears answering any questions the other officers had. "Come on you guys, let's go back to our apartment." They nodded slowly and followed me. When we got up there we noticed Kendall was not with us. We went back down to look for him. He wasn't there. When we reached 2J we saw a note on the door. I picked it up it read:

_**Oh, it seems your leader is no longer here,**_

_**Don't bother shedding a single tear.**_

_**You're probably wondering what to do now,**_

_**Well, all you have to do is find him. But how?**_

The color drained from my face, as well as, Carlos' and Logan's. Kendall's been kidnapped.

**Well that is the end of this chapter. I will try to get the next one posted maybe tomorrow or the next day depending on how busy I am this week. Have a good day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I didn't post sooner. I've had a crazy week. Please R & R.**

James P.o.v.

We walked slowly into the apartment and sat down on the couch. We are extremely lucky Ms. Knight and Katie are visiting family in Minnesota for the week. I don't know how we would have explained this to them. "I can't believe he's gone," Logan said shaking his head. 'I know, Logie. I don't know what we are going to do without him," I replied softly. Suddenly, Carlos jumped up off the couch. "We can't sit around and do nothing, we have to try to find him." I stood up. "He's right. Come on, Logan." "You guys go ahead. I'll stay here and try to figure out who would want to kidnap him." "Okay, but be careful, whoever took him might come after us too," I said cautiously. "Yes, I will be. But aren't I always?" "Touché," I said jokingly. "Let's go, Carlos." As we were heading down towards the lobby, I had a bad feeling about leaving Logan alone. Then again Logan was the smartest and most careful of all of us. I'm sure he'll be fine. When we reached the lobby, we walked straight over to Mr. Bitters' desk. "Hey, James, why are we over here?" Carlos asked. "We are looking into the Jennifer's murder. I have a feeling that both the murder and Kendal's kidnapping are connected," I stated. "Wow, I never thought of that. Nice one," he said. I rang the bell a few times and an angry looking Bitters stormed up to us from his office. "What do you want," he yelled at us. "We want to know what you know about the Jennifer's murder." I said immediately. "And why should I tell you two hockey heads?" He replied smugly. "You're right. You shouldn't. But, unless you want the rat incident posted all over the internet, you better tell us everything you know," I stated coyly. His smug expression changed to one that expressed fear. "Fine," he said quickly. "The murderer came in around 12:15 based on time of death, and left no finger prints or any kind of traceable identification on the body or crime scene. It seems that the door was pried open with a crowbar and the only evidence we found is a few footprints by the doorway and we are not even sure they were left by the killer. I swear that's all I know. Now please don't let that mishap out on the internet," he begged. "Very well. Have a good day," I said before I left. "What rat incident?" Carlos asked. "I honestly don't know. I took a chance," I said truthfully. "Nice, dude," Carlos said giving me a high-five. I walked over to the doorway to look at the footprints. It appears they came from the bottom of a pair of hiking boots that were covered with mud. But real help that does us. It was raining that night, so everyone's shoes would have been muddy. They could have belonged to anyone not necessarily the killer. Sigh. Back to square one. We need the super brain for this one.

Logan P.o.v.

I had my back to the door when I heard it creak open. "Oh, Carlos, James, you guys are back already," I asked surprised. No one responded. I turned around. The door was open, but no one was there. "Hey, this isn't funny. I'm getting kind of freaked out," I said slightly shaking. I heard a noise from the other room. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer and went to investigate. I held it out in from of me as I walked into the bedroom Kendall and I shared. I looked around it was empty. I then saw what had made the noise. One of my books fell off the shelf. Nothing to be scared of. I set the knife down and picked up the book. I put it back where it belonged. Suddenly, the door for the room slammed shut. A figure in black was standing in front of me holding the knife I had set down. He lunged at me and I dodged quickly heading toward the door. I pulled it open and ran into the kitchen area. He was right behind me. I reached into the cabinet and grabbed a frying pan. I hit him with it, but it didn't seem to faze him. I threw it at him when he lunged at me again, but he easily avoided it. To get away from him I climbed over the counter, knocking the stack of papers onto the floor. I raced into the bathroom and locked the door. _Finally safe_, I thought. But I spoke to soon. I heard a thump then a small crack. Then another thump, but louder this time. _Shit,_ I thought to myself. He's breaking down the door. I heard a loud crack and the door literally split in two. He came at me again with the knife and this time got me. I felt it slice through the flesh on my shoulder and then get pulled back out harshly. I gritted my teeth. The blood started to drip onto the floor. He then pulled my arms behind by back roughly, purposely ignoring the gash on my shoulder, and used the rope to bind my hands together. He then took a bandana and tied it around my mouth to make sure I didn't try to call for help. He pulled me out of the bathroom and left a note on the counter. He then forced me toward the window. He opened it and walked out onto the roof, pulling me along with him. He then started to climb down the side, leaving me temporarily alone. He jumped off the building and landed on the ground a few feet below. He then proceeded over to the white van parked toward the side of the Palm Woods. He opened the front door and climbed in. He drove up to the front, making sure no one was around, and parked directly below me. He walked out of the van and stared straight up at me. "Jump on top of the van," he yelled up at me. To be honest it wasn't more than a five foot jump but I still shook my head. He pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed at me. "Jump or I'll shoot," he threatened. I didn't think twice. I jumped and landed hardly on the roof of the van. I wasn't hurt, well anymore than I already was, so that's a good thing. He then yanked me roughly off the van and opened the back of it. He pushed my backwards into it and shut the doors. It was pitch black. I couldn't see a thing. I couldn't even hear anything, except for the loud beating of my heart. Suddenly, I was thrown against the wall of the van. I guess we started moving. My shoulder burned and I could feel the blood still gushing out of the wound. All of a sudden, I started feeling faint. _Must be from the loss of blood_, I thought to myself. I was tossed to the other side of the van as he turned down a street. My head started to throb. I must have hit my head on the last turn. I felt something warm drip into my eye. Blood. I felt him slow to a stop as I started to lose consciousness. The last thing I remember was the back of the van being opened and him creeping towards me before I saw nothing but darkness.

James P.o.v.

We walked into 2J and were horrified. There were papers scattered everywhere and pots and pans on the floor. Carlos screamed. I ran over to him. The bathroom door was broken down and there was a puddle of blood on the floor. There were also small droplets of blood leading toward the counter then over to the window. I walked over to the counter and on it was a note. It read:

_**I see your brains are now gone too,**_

_**If you think you're hopeless it's true.**_

_**Here's a hint, just review these letters and press pause,**_

_**If you don't get this it's from your own cause.**_

I motioned Carlos over and showed it to him. His eyes opened wide and a few tears slipped down his cheeks. I looked at him and teardrops began to fall from my eyes as well. It was all my fault. I never should have left him alone. I should have known they were going to take him too. Suddenly, a single thought crossed my mind. Which one of us was next?

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I will try to update very soon. Have a blessed day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, readers, I've been really busy, so I'm sorry I didn't post as soon as you would have liked. But, anyway, here's the new chapter!**

James P.o.v.

Oh my Gosh. This is all my fault. I never should have left him alone. "What are we going to do now, James?" Carlos asked in a small voice. "I'm not sure, but no matter what we have to stick together," I said calmly, or at least tried to, anyway. We started to clean up the papers and pots and pans that had been scattered throughout the apartment, and eventually wiped up the blood, that had been smeared across the floor. As we were finishing up we heard a loud crash followed by the heavy pattering of raindrops. Another crash sounded and the lights started to flicker. The rain poured harder and the lights completely went out. I heard a whimper from across the room closely followed by a small cry. "Carlos, are you alright, buddy?" I asked. I heard a soft, "not really" followed by small footsteps toward me. I pulled out my cell phone and turned the screen's brightness up all the way. I vaguely made out the silhouette of Carlos as he crept closer to me. "Come on, Carlos let's go to bed. We can't figure much out in the dark." "You're right. We can try to figure it out in the morning," he said his cheerful tone returning slowly. I made sure I locked the door and then used my phone to light the way to our bedroom. I turned my phone off and slid into my bed. Carlos did the same. "Goodnight, Carlos." "Night, James," he said in almost a whisper. It took a few hours for me to finally fall asleep, considering I have a slight case of insomnia and I awoke at every noise I heard. I ended up falling asleep around 1:00 in the morning. However, the next morning when I woke up I wished I hadn't.

Carlos P.o.v.

I don't know how James can be so calm and brave. I usually don't freak out about anything, but right now I'm terrified. James fell asleep a little bit ago, but I can't seem to. I think it's about 3:15. A few moments pass and I finally feel sleep starting to take over me. Suddenly, I hear a noise. I sit up and look around. _Must be the rain_, I thought as another clap of thunder sounded. I glanced at the window and saw a black figure looking through it. I was frozen with fear, and couldn't move or speak. The person slid open the window and crawled in. I was about to scream when he clasped his hand over my mouth. He pulled me up to a standing position and tied my hands behind my back. He then tied a bandana over my mouth so I couldn't scream. He set a note on my bed and pulled me out the window as he did with Logan. When we were on the ground, he a white van pulled up to us. He opened the back and pushed me in. I watched him slam the door closed and I was surrounded by darkness. I felt the water from my hair drip down my face, mix with my tears, then hit the floor soundlessly. _James, please help me,_ I thought as I was being tossed carelessly around in the back of the van. _Help me._

James P.o.v.

I woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in through the windows. "Morning, Carlos. Carlos? Where are you?" I said out loud as I walked over to his bed. Shock filled my features as I noticed the note resting undisturbed on his pillow. I picked it up slowly as tears filled my eyes, blurring out the words. I blinking repeatedly until my vision cleared. The note read:

_**By the looks of it, your closest friend is gone,**_

_**He has become my newest pawn.**_

_**You better try to find him very hard,**_

_**Or your friends will be forever scarred.**_

No, no, no. How could I have let this happen? I thought he would be safe here. What does this person want with us? I couldn't take it anymore I ripped the note into pieces and stormed out of the apartment. I headed down to the pool to clear my head. When I returned to the apartment there was another note on the door. I ripped it off and read it.

_**Since you don't understand this,**_

_**And every clue you seem to miss,**_

_**I'll give you one more try,**_

_**And if you don't get it, your friends will be forever in the sky.**_

_**I swoop down to catch my prey,**_

_**Come on, Jamie, let's play.**_

_**I have eight talons with very sharp claws.**_

_**If you don't get this you have many flaws.**_

I can't believe I didn't get it earlier. I know who took them and why. I grabbed the Big Time Rush Mobile's keys and headed down to the lobby. I hurried out the doors to the parking lot. I hopped in the car and put the keys in the ignition. Hawk, here I come.

**Sorry it was a short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer. Please R & R.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, sorry, I didn't update sooner, but there was this horrible storm and it knocked out our power for days. Actually, it's still out, but luckily we have a generator so that is how I'm posting this. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

James P.o.v.

The car ride felt like it took hours, but in reality it only took about ten minutes. I finally pulled into Hawk Record's parking lot and jumped out of the car. I ran up to the doors and walked right in. I passed through the hallway unnoticed and slipped into Hawk's office quietly. No one was in there, so I started going through files on his desk in hope that I might find some clue to the location they were being held. In the middle of my snooping, I heard the door start to open slowly. I slid under his desk and prayed he wouldn't come over here. I peered around the edge of the desk and watched him as he stood in front of the bookcase on the far wall. He took out a keychain and pressed a button that was clipped to it. The bookcase slid slightly and a small passage became visible. He walked into it and disappeared within a few seconds. The bookcase slid back to its original spot and I stayed hidden, in fear he would reappear and spot me. I waited a few moments and the bookcase slid over once again and Hawk appeared once more. As he walked out of the room, I sprinted into the passage before it was resealed. As I walked down the passage way, lights appeared on the ceiling and walls showing me the way to the end of the corridor. The narrow hallway eventually expanded into somewhat of a large room, where I saw three figures tied to chairs. The lights brightened, and I was able to make out the faces of my beloved friends. I hurried over to them and started to untie them. I started with Kendall, then I made my way over to Carlos, and lastly Logan. I just finished removing the last of Logan's ropes, when I heard the sound of a gun being cocked. I turned around to see Hawk holding a gun that was pointed at Logan. All three of their faces were frozen with fear and Carlos was slightly whimpering. "Don't move or I'll shoot," he said fiercely. None of us did, but that didn't stop him from pulling the trigger. I couldn't let Logan get shot, so I got in the way of the bullet. I felt it tear through the skin of my left shoulder and embed itself in my flesh. I grabbed the wound with my right hand and felt the blood leak through my fingers. In all the commotion, and my being shot, I didn't notice Kendall sneaking up on Hawk holding a fire extinguisher. I tried to distract Hawk so he wouldn't notice him. "So, if you were just going to kidnap us why did you kill the Jennifer?" I asked quickly trying to ignore the stinging of the wound. "I was trying to scare you, but since it didn't work I had to kidnap you guys. After I got the three of you, I just needed to lure, Jamie, to Hawk Record's which was easy enough. Then, after all four of you were here, I would kill you one by one. Starting with you," he said maliciously. He pointed the gun and me just as Kendall swung the fire extinguisher. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough. I felt the second bullet tear through the right side of my stomach. I gritted my teeth at the agonizing pain. I then heard the sound of metal on flesh, and saw Hawk collapse on the ground, blood slowly trickling from the cut on his temple. I dropped to my knees as Kendall rushed over. All three of them knelt near me. Black spots were swarming my vision as I fell backwards on the concrete floor. I coughed and tasted blood. I felt it trickle out the side of my mouth. My clothes were almost completely soaked in blood by the time I remembered I had my cell phone with me. Struggling, I reached into my the front pocket of my blood soaked jeans and handed my phone to Logan who immediately dialed 911. The pain was unbearable as my vision started to fade. Carlos was in tears and Logan was pacing back and forth frantically. Kendall, on the other hand, was trying to stay calm, but you could tell he was ready to crack. "It'll be alright, buddy. I promise," Carlos said quietly. I heard the faint wailing of sirens, as I drifted in and out of consciousness. Then, I heard the voices of Kendall and Logan followed by those I didn't recognize. I felt my body being lifted up and the aching pain slowly subside before I lost touch with reality.

**Well, that is the end of this chapter. There will be one more chapter after this and then it will be finished. I hope you liked it. R & R.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, here is the next chapter!**

James P.o.v.

I opened my eyes slowly and gasped for air. After taking a few deep breaths, I used my hands to push myself into a sitting position. "Hello?" I choked out. No one answered. I looked around. I couldn't see anything. It was too dark. Suddenly, I heard a faint beeping and noticed a small light off in the distance. The light grew brighter and brighter until it enveloped me in its glow. I cracked open my eyes and saw white everywhere. I glanced beside me. I saw six blurry figures leaning over me. I blinked repeatedly until the images cleared up. I saw Kendall, Carlos, Logan, Ms. Knight, and wait. Why are Gustavo and Kelly here? Never mind that, but where am I? "Hey, guys. Where am I?" I said faintly. My throat felt like sandpaper. "Oh, you are finally awake," Ms. Knight said cheerfully. "You are in the hospital," Kendall said staring at me. "How long was I out?" I asked slightly dazed. "You were unconscious for about twelve hours," Kelly said softly. "What! What happened?" I said sitting up quickly. Suddenly, pain shot through my stomach and shoulder. I winced. "Hey, relax," Logan said gently pushing me back down. "Don't you remember anything?" Carlos asked worriedly. "No," I said slowly. "You were shot twice," Carlos replied. At that moment all the memories of Hawk and the gun and the pain came flooding back. "Oh, was it that bad?" I asked. "Bad? You want to know if it was that bad. You were shot twice, lost tons of blood, and even flat lined once! You were rushed into immediate surgery. One of the bullets nicked your heart. You almost died!" Kendall yelled at me. "Oh." I looked down. For the first time I noticed the pink tinted bandages that were wrapped around me. They went from my shoulder down to where the edge of the blanket was positioned on my stomach. I also noticed the bandages on Logan's shoulder. "Hey Logan are you alright?" I asked. "Yeah,I'm fine. To tell you the truth I actually forgot about my injury until a doctor in the hall pointed it out. It's fine now though," He said slightly embarrassed. "Well i'm just glad you are o.k.," I relied. "Kelly, now that we know that the tall dog is fine, we should be getting back to the studio," Gustavo said. "Yeah, he's right we have to let Griffin and the Record Company know James is alright," Kelly said standing up. "Bye, guys," She said walking out the door after Gustavo. "I'm going to let James' parents know he is alright," Ms. Knight said also walking out of the room. "Hey, what were you thinking?" Logan said quietly. "You shouldn't have taken that bullet for me." "I had to, Logie. I couldn't live with myself if one of you guys got hurt again ," I told them truthfully. "Yeah, but you could have been killed," Logan said back. "I don't care if I had been just as long as you guys stay safe. You're my best friends I couldn't let anything happen to you guys." "James, -"I cut him off. "Just drop it. I'm fine now and that's what matters, right?" I stated. "Yeah," they said in unison. "So, what happened to Hawk?" I asked. "Well, after he shot you Kendal managed to knock him out with a fire extinguisher. Then, when the ambulance came we called the police and they came and picked up Hawk. His trial is in a few days, but everyone one already knows he is guilty. So his sentence will be twenty-five years to life depending on what the judge decides," Logan explained. "So, will you be alright now?" Carlos asked. "Yeah, thanks to all of you I will be," I said gratefully. We then had a manly group hug and waited for the doctor to come in.

Hawk P.o.v.

Mark my words James Diamond, you will pay. When I get out of here I will kill you and your friends one by one. So beware the hawk. Caw!

**Well, that is it. Tell me if you want me to write a sequel. Please R&R. **


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